J-Rich Turns Back the Clock

Jason Richardson can’t re-do this season. He can’t go back and move up his knee surgery, rehab over the summer, be ready for training camp, and make a great first impression on coach Don Nelson.

All that was lost when he had his knee scoped in late August, missed the preseason, couldn’t keep up with Nellie-ball, and, to top it off, had his hand broken by a teammate on a fluke play.

That’s what made tonight’s performance so important. Richardson needed to prove to himself — as much as his new coach and teammates — that he was still capable of lighting it up from the field. After dropping season-highs of 36 points and 12 rebounds on the Suns, setting a franchise record with eight three-pointers in the process, Richardson said it best himself: “It was like a thousand pounds were coming off my shoulders when my shots were going in.”

If he plays even close to that in these last nine games, then Warriors playoff chances suddenly get a whole lot brighter.